Sunday, 23 June 2013

Avoiding any puns about 'blowing our own trumpet' we'd like to share with you some of the comments we've received from our audience that have been emailed to us or posted via facebook.

More importantly £580 was raised on the night for Autism Concern and our first comment is from Mike Hogg, a volunteer for Autism Concern.

"The audience were fantastic in their generosity to our cause, as was their enthusiasm for the performance of [the] Band. I hope they had an enjoyable evening, they looked and sounded as if they did."
- M. Hogg, Autism Concern

"Thank you for a fabulous evening! We LOVED every minute and were utterly entranced and transported into some of our favourite films! We'll definitely be back for more at a future concert! Thank you!"
- G. Price

"Thank you for a very enjoyable musical evening with a great choice of film tunes and good company"
- E. Bird

"I attended this concert last night with my family and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Being musical ourselves, and having played a few of your pieces (although nowhere near as good!) we thought the band were totally brilliant! The quality of playing was immense. I shall be spreading the word to others to come and see you in action."
- A. Letts

Saturday, 22 June 2013

Disney Around the World (Various)Arr. James ChristensenWe open tonight’s concert with an overture of popular Disney songs. Most feature in the many films of Disney, though ‘It’s a Small World’ was written for the popular musical boat ride that is located at each of the Disney parks and resorts.Initially the ride was to feature national anthems of all the countries represented but this resulted in a big noise. Walt requested his staff songwriters to “[Write] one song that can easily be translated into many languages and be played as a round”.Robin Hood Fanfare | It’s A Small World Alice In Wonderland | Colonel Hathi’s March I Wan’na Be Like You | Let’s Go Fly A Kite Night on a Bald Mountain | Sorcerer’s Apprentice Under The Sea | Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

The Lion King (1994)

Elton John, Hans Zimmer

Arr. Calvin Custer

Lyricist Tim Rice, who was working with composer Alan Menken on songs for Aladdin, was invited to write the songs and accepted on the condition of finding a composing partner. As Menken was unavailable, the producers accepted Rice's suggestion of Elton John. John and Rice wrote five original songs for this film additional music was written by Hans Zimmer.This Land | Circle Of Life | To Die For Be Prepared | Can You Feel The Love Tonight Hakuna Matata | I Just Can’t Wait To Be King

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Alan Menken

Arr. Jay BocookOriginally sung by the character Mrs Potts, voiced by Angela Lansbury, in the 1991 film the song was released as a single sung by the relatively unknown Celine Dion. The critical and commercial success of "Beauty and the Beast" has been credited with establishing her career. Menken considered "Beauty and the Beast" a "turning point" in his career, revealing that it was the first time one of his compositions had been re-arranged for such a purpose.

Star Trek (2009)

Michael Giacchino

Arr. Jay Bocook

Giacchino admitted personal pressure in scoring the J.J. Abrams 2009 Star Trek film, as "I grew up listening to all of that great [Trek] music, and that's part of what inspired me to do what I'm doing. You just go in scared. You just hope you do your best. It's one of those things where the film will tell me what to do.”To Boldly Go | Enterprising Young Men End Credits

Superman (1978)

John Williams

Arr. Derek Ashmore

Superman is well known for its large-scale visual effects sequences, all of which were created before the digital age. The Superman costume was to be a much darker blue, but the use of blue screen made it transparent. Superman also established the superhero film genre as viable outside the world of Saturday matinee serials, although it was a decade before the comparable success of the Batman series and two decades before that of X-Men and Spider-Man.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Paul Dukas

Arr. James Curnow

In 1936, Walt Disney felt that the Disney studio's star character Mickey Mouse needed a boost in popularity. He decided to feature the mouse in The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a deluxe cartoon short based on the poem written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and set to the orchestral piece by Paul Dukas that was inspired by the original tale. The young apprentice of the sorcerer Yen Sid, attempts some of his master's magic tricks but doesn't know how to control them.

Mary Poppins (1964)

Richard and Robert Sherman

Arr. J. W. Duthoit

The film received 13 Academy Award nominations and won 5 awards. This makes Mary Poppins the most Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated Disney film in history. Julie Andrews won an Oscar for Best Actress and Richard and Robert Sherman won Best Original Song for ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’.Feed The Birds | A Spoonful Of Sugar Step In Time | I Love To Laugh | Sand Dance Jolly ‘oliday | Step In Time | Chim Chim Cher-ee Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Let’s go fly a kite

INTERMISSION

Aladdin (1992)

Alan Menken

Arr. John Moss

Composer Alan Menken and songwriters Howard Ashman and Tim Rice were praised for creating a soundtrack that is "consistently good, rivaling the best of Disney's other animated musicals from the '90s." Menken and Ashman began work on the film together, with Rice taking over as lyricist after Ashman died in early 1991. Although fourteen songs were written for Aladdin, only six are featured in the movie, three by each lyricist.Arabian Nights | One Jump Ahead Wedding Announcement | A Whole New World Jafar’s Hour | Prince Ali | On A Dark Night Friend like me | Happy Ending

Doctor Who

Ron Grainer

Arr. Denis BurtonDoctor Who fans will be eagerly awaiting the 50th Anniversary episode to be screened later this year with Northampton’s Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor.Until then, we give you this wind band arrangement that pays homage to Ron Grainer’s original theme (minus all the “Timey-Wimey, Spacey-Wacey” sound effects, unless one of our instruments starts malfunctioning…).

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Frank Churchill

Arr. J.W Duthoit

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was to be the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, and as such Walt Disney had to fight to get the film produced. His gamble paid off and at the 11th Academy Awards, the film won an Academy Honorary Award for Walt Disney. Disney received a full-size Oscar statuette and seven miniature statuettes.Some Day My Prince Will Come Whistle While You Work | I’m Wishing | Heigh-Ho With A Smile And A Song | The Silly Song One Song

Pixar Movie Magic

Randy Newman and Michael Giacchino

Arr. Michael BrownSince 1995 when Toy Story was released, the creative team at Pixar Studios has given us heart-warming stories and unforgettable characters that appeal to audiences of all ages – and the music created for these films is an integral part of their popularity and charm.The Glory Days (The Incredibles - 2004) The Spirit of Adventure (Up - 2010) Ratatouille Main Theme (Ratatouille - 2007) The Big Race (Cars - 2006) You've Got a Friend in Me (Toy Story - 1995)

Thunderbirds March

Barry Gray

Arr. Philip SparkeBarry Gray (18 July 1908 – 26 April 1984) was a British musician and composer best known for his collaborations with television and film producer Gerry Anderson.Despite the 2004 live action film adaptation of the marionette-driven cult classic; Thunderbirds flopped at cinemas when transformed into a live action Spy Kids wannabe. Hans Zimmer's score at least paid homage to the original show's brassy, fearless sound by keeping Barry Grey’s Thunderbirds March.

The Simpsons

Danny Elfman

Arr. Paul Lavender

Composed by Danny Elfman in 1989, after series creator Matt Groening approached him requesting a retro-style theme. The piece, which took two days to create, has been noted by Elfman as the most popular of his career.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

John Williams

Arr. Victor LopezThe third and final score in the series to be composed by John Williams. This film's music is not as bright as that of the previous films, with distinct medieval influences in the instrumentation. One of the new themes, "Double Trouble," was written during production so that a children's choir could perform it in Hogwarts's Great Hall in one of the film's earlier scenes (accompanied by giant toads).The lyrics of "Double Trouble" are from a ritual performed by the ‘Weird Sisters’ in Act 4, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Macbeth.“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”Hedwigs Theme | Hagrid the Professor Double Trouble | A Window To The Past

Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest

Hans Zimmer Arr.

Jay BocookThis highly anticipated sequel was the biggest movie of the year and features an exciting and dramatic soundtrack from the pen of Hans Zimmer, plus familiar themes from the first movie.Jack Sparrow | The Kraken | Davy Jones I've Got My Eye On You | Wheel Of Fortune